Ancient Egyptian Religion is one of the few religions in the world that has captured the eyes of many. Its complexity and the way in which their religion is more as a way of life has intrigued many. This, in my opinion, is why this religion and culture have been studied a great deal. A few other examples are Islam and Buddhism. These religions make the people that follow them who they are.
Egyptian religion is a polytheistic religion. This means that it is composed of two or more deities or gods. Egyptian religion has many. From Ra to Isis to Horus there are many that make up this religion.
Ancient Egyptian priests composed a creation myth because they needed an explanation of how the gods and goddesses came about. They also needed to explain how the gods related to one another. This idea was the result of the family tree of the gods. This family tree was very important because it explained the relationships of the main Egyptian gods
Gods
The gods are the backbones of any religion. The Egyptian religion is composed of many gods and goddesses that hold that frame in tact.
The Egyptian Eye of Ra
Atum/Ra is known to be the god of reproduction, virility, and life. He is later renamed as Ra which is what he is better known being called. Other names he is known as is The Sun god. He is one of the original deities and is the lord of creation according to the followers. Most, if not all, of the Egyptian gods are depicted as being part human part animal. Atum is mostly seen as being part human part scarab or falcon. A scarab is a type of beetle native to Egypt that is known as being a flesh-eater.
The god Horus
Heru/Har is known to be the god of the sky. He is the son of the goddess Isis and the god Osiris. He is also known under the name Horus which is Greek. Since he was known as being the god of the sky he was depicted with the head of a falcon. Since he is known as the sky god a myth evolved that his eyes were made up of the sun and the moon. The sun in one eye and the moon in the other. Horus is known to be the patron of lower Egypt. Set, the brother of Isis, was the patron of Upper Egypt. There was a big battle over who would rule Egypt better. Horus ended up winning that battle. Set ended up losing a testicle which was translated into the desert being “infertile” which meant it wouldn’t be fruitful with life, and Horus lost one of his eyes which was the one that contained the moon. The moon was then seen as being weaker than the sun.
The god Osiris
Asar/Osiris is known as being depicted as a green man. His green skin is a depiction of re-birth. He is one of the oldest gods that there are records of. History shows that he was widely worshipped until the paganism suppression in the Christian era. The myths of Osiris have come from information contained in Pyramid Texts from about 2400 BC. His most famous duty was being a judge in the afterlife amongst the underworld. He was also the god of vegetation and fertile flooding of the Nile River. Osiris had an immense responsibility for sustaining the balance of nature. Having food available to the people and making sure the food would be able to grow is important. He is also known to be the father of god Horus and the wife of Isis.
The god Anubis
Anpu/Anubis is known to be the god of mummification. Mummification is known to the preservation process of the body in order to live on in the afterlife. Anubis is depicted as a jackle-headed man. Anubis was very important in the afterlife process because he would be responsible for mummifying the pharaohs of Ancient Egypt. He would be the one person responsible for the most important people in Ancient Egyptian history. In the Old Kingdom Anubis was in charge of this, but in the Middle Kingdom Osiris took charge of this.
The god Tehuti
Tehuti was known as the god of the moon. He was also considered as one of the most important deities in the Egyptian pantheon. Tehuti was known for being the heart and tongue of the god Ra, who is the god of the sun. He was also known for translating Ra’s will into speech in order for him to be understood. Tehuti has also been involved in the judging of the dead, magic, science, and writing of the Egyptian people. He is usually depicted with the head of an ibis with a human body. An ibis is a long legged bird.
The goddess Isis
Isis is the most recognized god out of all the other Egyptian deities. She is known as the goddess of fertility, magic, and nature. She is most known for being the daughter of Geb, god of the earth and Nut, goddess of the overarching sky. Isis was born on one of the first days of creation. She was very different than the other gods since she spent time with the Egyptian people. She enjoyed teaching the women how to gather crops for cooking such as corn, to be better mothers, and how they can be closer with nature in order to sustain balance. She also taught the women how to deal with their husbands in order to be great wives. Isis was known as the “All Goddess” due to her great knowledge on everything.
Pharaohs
The Egyptian people believe that the one person that was closest to the gods was their pharaoh. The literal translation for Pharaoh in ancient Egyptian is “the great house.”
This symbolizes great importance in their culture. The great house has another subtext meaning which is associated with a palace. This is concluded by having a big house, one must have great importance.
The Egyptians always thought their country must be led by a man in order for power to be sustained and controlled. This quickly changed when the first female pharaoh came into power. Queen Hatshepsut ruled over the eighteenth dynasty and was the fifth pharaoh in that dynasty. Her husband, Thutmose III, was pharaoh but became very ill and died suddenly. She only felt it best to take responsibility of her people and make sure that they were safe. Her reign lasted for almost twenty-two years from 1479 BC to 1458 BC and she is still one of the most remembered pharaohs of ancient Egypt. Hatshepsut was also known for having the greatest architecture. Many pharaohs after her tried to out do her beautiful constructions and even tried to claim some of her monuments as their own. This was an obvious failure for those pharaohs. Her best known monument is at the Temple of Karnak which has many chapels still standing that were used for worship. Hatshepsut died during her twenty-second year of ruling and archaeological evidence shows she died in her fifties from suffering from bone cancer and diabetes.
The Temple of Karnak in the Valley of the Kings
The Living/Afterlife
The Egyptians believed that everyone had two specific souls. The first one, Ka was the soul that was the equivalent of their physical body and it was also known as the internal soul. The other soul, Ba, was the one that would accompany them in the throughout their earthly life and in the afterlife.
The afterlife had to be made stable in order for these souls to live on with each other. Mummification is a very important ritual that must occur in order for Ba and Ka to live on through immortality. In the burial process, gifts are left in the tomb of a pharaoh in order to keep a continuing life for Ka. Mummification has often been misconstrued with only helping the deceased to be well preserved for afterlife, but really mummification is important in order help the soul, Ba, to continue on in the afterlife.
The Soul Ba residing over a mummy
Certain texts have been crucial in the religion of Egypt. The Book of the Dead is by far the most recognizable. This book is known also by The Chapters of Coming Forth by Day. This book has a collection of sacred inscriptions that if read the right way, can take away the mortal soul of a person. Also these inscriptions help the souls of the individual pass on into the underworld safely. If not their souls can be lost forever if the inscriptions are misinterpreted. The sacred high priest is the one usually presiding over the mummified body and does a ritual in to sustain order among the living and the dead. The most well known high priest is Imhotep.
Anubis mummifying a Pharaoh
Imhotep lived during the third dynasty and is known for his priest work. Also he is known to be one of the first physicians. He was given divine status by Pharaoh Djoser, and is one of few mortals to be given this status throughout their history.
Here Anubis is weighing the heart of someone before they enter the underworld. If their heart is full of darkness then their heart will be heavier than the feather of Ma'at. Ma'at is the goddes of truth and balance.
The goddess Ma'at who sustain Truth and Balance
There is myth that when one enters the underworld their heart will be laid upon a scale. On one side there is their heart and on the other is the feather of Ma’at. Ma’at is the goddess of balance and truth. If one’s heart is full with darkness it will be heavier than the feather, and if it is full with light it will be lighter than the feather. If one is bad, Ma’at will come and devour that dark individual.
Oakes, Lorna. Ancient Egypt : an Illustrated Reference to the Myths, Religions, Pyramids and Temples of the Land of the Pharaohs . New York: Hernes House, 2002.
David, Rosalie. Religion and Magic in Ancient Egypt. New York: Penguin Books, 2002.
Johnston, Sarah. Religion of the Ancient World: A Guide. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1993.
Ancient Egyptian Religion
Introduction
Ancient Egyptian Religion is one of the few religions in the world that has captured the eyes of many. Its complexity and the way in which their religion is more as a way of life has intrigued many. This, in my opinion, is why this religion and culture have been studied a great deal. A few other examples are Islam and Buddhism. These religions make the people that follow them who they are.
Egyptian religion is a polytheistic religion. This means that it is composed of two or more deities or gods. Egyptian religion has many. From Ra to Isis to Horus there are many that make up this religion.
Ancient Egyptian priests composed a creation myth because they needed an explanation of how the gods and goddesses came about. They also needed to explain how the gods related to one another. This idea was the result of the family tree of the gods. This family tree was very important because it explained the relationships of the main Egyptian gods
GodsThe gods are the backbones of any religion. The Egyptian religion is composed of many gods and goddesses that hold that frame in tact.
Atum/Ra is known to be the god of reproduction, virility, and life. He is later renamed as Ra which is what he is better known being called. Other names he is known as is The Sun god. He is one of the original deities and is the lord of creation according to the followers. Most, if not all, of the Egyptian gods are depicted as being part human part animal. Atum is mostly seen as being part human part scarab or falcon. A scarab is a type of beetle native to Egypt that is known as being a flesh-eater.
Heru/Har is known to be the god of the sky. He is the son of the goddess Isis and the god Osiris. He is also known under the name Horus which is Greek. Since he was known as being the god of the sky he was depicted with the head of a falcon. Since he is known as the sky god a myth evolved that his eyes were made up of the sun and the moon. The sun in one eye and the moon in the other. Horus is known to be the patron of lower Egypt. Set, the brother of Isis, was the patron of Upper Egypt. There was a big battle over who would rule Egypt better. Horus ended up winning that battle. Set ended up losing a testicle which was translated into the desert being “infertile” which meant it wouldn’t be fruitful with life, and Horus lost one of his eyes which was the one that contained the moon. The moon was then seen as being weaker than the sun.
Asar/Osiris is known as being depicted as a green man. His green skin is a depiction of re-birth. He is one of the oldest gods that there are records of. History shows that he was widely worshipped until the paganism suppression in the Christian era. The myths of Osiris have come from information contained in Pyramid Texts from about 2400 BC. His most famous duty was being a judge in the afterlife amongst the underworld. He was also the god of vegetation and fertile flooding of the Nile River. Osiris had an immense responsibility for sustaining the balance of nature. Having food available to the people and making sure the food would be able to grow is important. He is also known to be the father of god Horus and the wife of Isis.
Anpu/Anubis is known to be the god of mummification. Mummification is known to the preservation process of the body in order to live on in the afterlife. Anubis is depicted as a jackle-headed man. Anubis was very important in the afterlife process because he would be responsible for mummifying the pharaohs of Ancient Egypt. He would be the one person responsible for the most important people in Ancient Egyptian history. In the Old Kingdom Anubis was in charge of this, but in the Middle Kingdom Osiris took charge of this.
Tehuti was known as the god of the moon. He was also considered as one of the most important deities in the Egyptian pantheon. Tehuti was known for being the heart and tongue of the god Ra, who is the god of the sun. He was also known for translating Ra’s will into speech in order for him to be understood. Tehuti has also been involved in the judging of the dead, magic, science, and writing of the Egyptian people. He is usually depicted with the head of an ibis with a human body. An ibis is a long legged bird.
Isis is the most recognized god out of all the other Egyptian deities. She is known as the goddess of fertility, magic, and nature. She is most known for being the daughter of Geb, god of the earth and Nut, goddess of the overarching sky. Isis was born on one of the first days of creation. She was very different than the other gods since she spent time with the Egyptian people. She enjoyed teaching the women how to gather crops for cooking such as corn, to be better mothers, and how they can be closer with nature in order to sustain balance. She also taught the women how to deal with their husbands in order to be great wives. Isis was known as the “All Goddess” due to her great knowledge on everything.
Pharaohs
The Egyptian people believe that the one person that was closest to the gods was their pharaoh. The literal translation for Pharaoh in ancient Egyptian is “the great house.”
This symbolizes great importance in their culture. The great house has another subtext meaning which is associated with a palace. This is concluded by having a big house, one must have great importance.
The Egyptians always thought their country must be led by a man in order for power to be sustained and controlled. This quickly changed when the first female pharaoh came into power. Queen Hatshepsut ruled over the eighteenth dynasty and was the fifth pharaoh in that dynasty. Her husband, Thutmose III, was pharaoh but became very ill and died suddenly. She only felt it best to take responsibility of her people and make sure that they were safe. Her reign lasted for almost twenty-two years from 1479 BC to 1458 BC and she is still one of the most remembered pharaohs of ancient Egypt. Hatshepsut was also known for having the greatest architecture. Many pharaohs after her tried to out do her beautiful constructions and even tried to claim some of her monuments as their own. This was an obvious failure for those pharaohs. Her best known monument is at the Temple of Karnak which has many chapels still standing that were used for worship. Hatshepsut died during her twenty-second year of ruling and archaeological evidence shows she died in her fifties from suffering from bone cancer and diabetes.
The Living/Afterlife
The Egyptians believed that everyone had two specific souls. The first one, Ka was the soul that was the equivalent of their physical body and it was also known as the internal soul. The other soul, Ba, was the one that would accompany them in the throughout their earthly life and in the afterlife.
The afterlife had to be made stable in order for these souls to live on with each other. Mummification is a very important ritual that must occur in order for Ba and Ka to live on through immortality. In the burial process, gifts are left in the tomb of a pharaoh in order to keep a continuing life for Ka. Mummification has often been misconstrued with only helping the deceased to be well preserved for afterlife, but really mummification is important in order help the soul, Ba, to continue on in the afterlife.
Certain texts have been crucial in the religion of Egypt. The Book of the Dead is by far the most recognizable. This book is known also by The Chapters of Coming Forth by Day. This book has a collection of sacred inscriptions that if read the right way, can take away the mortal soul of a person. Also these inscriptions help the souls of the individual pass on into the underworld safely. If not their souls can be lost forever if the inscriptions are misinterpreted. The sacred high priest is the one usually presiding over the mummified body and does a ritual in to sustain order among the living and the dead. The most well known high priest is Imhotep.
Imhotep lived during the third dynasty and is known for his priest work. Also he is known to be one of the first physicians. He was given divine status by Pharaoh Djoser, and is one of few mortals to be given this status throughout their history.
There is myth that when one enters the underworld their heart will be laid upon a scale. On one side there is their heart and on the other is the feather of Ma’at. Ma’at is the goddess of balance and truth. If one’s heart is full with darkness it will be heavier than the feather, and if it is full with light it will be lighter than the feather. If one is bad, Ma’at will come and devour that dark individual.
Here is The Nile River viewed in Google Earth!
References:
"Gods and Mythology of Ancient Egypt." Tour Egypt. N.p., 21 08 2011. Web. 22 Nov 2011. <http://www.touregypt.net/godsofegypt/
"Egypt: Daliy Life." www.sptimes.com. N.p., 02 10 1999. Web. 24 Nov 2011. <http://www2.sptimes.com/Egypt /EgyptCredit.4.2.html>.
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"The Great Unknown-Some Views of the Afterlife." www.thinkquest.org. N.p., 10 09 1998. Web. 19 Nov 2011.<http://library.thinkquest.org/16665/afterlifeframe.htm>.
Oakes, Lorna. Ancient Egypt : an Illustrated Reference to the Myths, Religions, Pyramids and Temples of the Land of the Pharaohs . New York: Hernes House, 2002.
David, Rosalie. Religion and Magic in Ancient Egypt. New York: Penguin Books, 2002.
Johnston, Sarah. Religion of the Ancient World: A Guide. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1993.